Air transferrer



13,4927. 1,652,337 J. c. WRIGHT AIR TRANSFERRER Filed Aug. 21, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 13, 1927. 1,652,337 I J- C. WRIGHT 'AIR TRANSFERRER Filed Aug. 21, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 13, 1927.

.1. C. WRIGHT AIR TRANSFERRER Filed Aug. 21, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Dec. 13, 1927.

UNITED sT-A 'JITLIUSi CLINTON WRIGHT, or Waco, TE AS;

Ara rna vsrnnann,

Application filed. August 21, 1924. Serial No. 733,449.

. This invention relates to rotary. air transferrers, and has for its principal objectthe improvement generally "of such mechanisms.

Asecond object of the invention is to so design the base of the impeller or runner and the passageway. walls that'the air or is the provision of a blower in which the air.

is trapped in each of a plurality of symmetrical and balanced air chambers. in each of which the area of the intake is in excess of the area of the discharge orificeswhereby pressure is secured in the discharge of the blowerl A still'furtherobject-of the present inventionlies in the provision of a blower in which the number of vanes of the impeller is prime with respect to the num-- berof blades'of the casing, that 1s, the num-v ber of vanes and the number of blades have no common divisor'except unity. v

Various other ob ects of the invent on re,-

late to the specific details of construction of,

the various parts and are set forth in detail in the specification following and are part cularly set forth in theclaims.

All rotary transferrers, whether of the sue-f tion or the discharge type, run a rather low efficiency, and t 1s my desire to provide an air transferrer which by reason of its design and shape will increase the eliicicncy of these mechanisms. I secured this much desired, ob ect. by eliminating eddy currents in the intake and by directing the incoming air into the hooded mouths ofthe passageway, preferably two in number althoughatliree or more could be used if de-.

sire V y In the drawings:

Figure l is. a side elevation of a blower.

embodying the featuresof my invention. Figure-2 isa top plan view. Figure 3 is a side elevation of the impeller with the top, wall broken away .inpart to define more, clearly the air channels.

F igure 3.

Figure 5 1s'a cross section on line- 5-5of Figure 4 isa cross section on lined-d of F igure p Y I Figure 6 is a perspective of the impelle but omitting the air-lock ring.

- Figure 7 is a cross sect-iontaken face of the base,

Figure 8 is a detail of the mouth of the hood.-

- In Figure 1, the invention is shown in aspecific embodiment as applied to a blower, t being noted, however, that the invention is applicable. to suction fans and other types. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that when the fan shown as on the corner of the a'bloweris to be used as a ventilator, the

base of the runner or impeller is cut away at the periphery, and the blades are lengthened .in accordance with standard ventilator practice. The main shaft 10 is provided with a thrust bearing 11 in the housing frame 12 and a second bearing 14 in a stationary part ofthe blower as a whole, the shaft 10. betweenthese two bearings preferably carry inga' pulley 15 from which the impeller re ceives its power. As would be apparent to those skilled in the art, the pulley 15 is merely diagrammatic, and may, in practice, be a steam turbine or an electric motor,

either of these prime movers working efiiciently .with the combination, especially in View of. the concave formation of the impeller, base plate.

The. housing has three arms 16 preferably at 120-. apart each arched to clear the impeller and each. preferably having a'fin 18 within the impeller to increase the. efficiency of the. device. The duct 19in the housing is circular in cross section and has a constant minimum diameter but is eccentric ,inlthat the cross section diameter gradually increases to the eductionin discharge out let. Inthe specific embodiment shown, the impeller has two hoods 17, so the combination of' the 1 twohoods or vanes with the three arms or baffles ofthe housing, trap the a1r very well and prevent absolutely all throbbing due to the movement of the rotary element. The discharge passageways each constantly decrease insize throughout its; eXtent from entrance to exitand consequentlythe entrance area is in excess of the discharge area, resulting in a discharge pres sure since the speed of the air is lncreasedin passingthru the smaller areaat discharge- All As will be seen from Figure 4:, the base 20 of the rotary element or nnpeller is a surface of revolution of the type that may be called a curved cone, the cross section of the curve being such that it lies tangent to the axis at its point of contact therewith 21, and at a point near its outer edge, it begins to approach a plane at right angles to the axis of rotation of the shaft 10.

The apical portion of the base or cone is positioned centrally of the air intake and by virtue of its smooth and graceful curve, it dellects the air in the center of the moving column toward thetwo hoods 17. Each of these hoods is in a plane substantially radial and my preference is that the two hoods shown shall be substantially diiunetrically opposite one another, although :for practical reasons I [hid it preferable and more convenient to have the planes oil. the mouths oi the passageways parallel one to the other with a space of a tow inches between them.

The area of each mouth 17 is very considerably larger than customary in the art, the size or area of the month being determined entirely by the amount of pressure desired in the discharge, the height over all of the mouth in turn giving the pitch of the snaillilre passageway to which cachet the mouths 17 lead, such pitch being uniform through the length of the passageway.

The passageway which has its entrance at the hood 17 is delined on its inside by the spiral line 33 on thei ace ot the base and at its peripheral edge by the are 3 1. The initial. outer wall of each passageway rises substantially centrally ot' the tail end of the opposite passageway, will be better run derstood from a consideration of Figure l wherein the space is that portion of the intake divided off from the major passageway 38 by the dividing wall 39, and the passage 4-0 is the discharge end of the opposite passageway 38. The wall ill, is substantially arch-shaped and merges at its outer edge with the bell-like flare or shirt 4:2 01' the in1- peller. \Vhen the impeller is whirled at full speed, it gives one the in'ipression of a bell, the slope of the body proper being given by the wall 43, which, as previously stated, has an evenly sloping outwardly flared bell mouth or skirt 42.

The secondary mouth is placed slightly inward of the main mouth 17, and it, with the wall 39, deflects a fourth of the total air received by the mouth 17 of the hood, through the orilice it) between the terminal mouth 47 of the opposite snail-like passageway and the portion 48 at the end of the wall, 39. The remainder of the air entrapped in the large mouth or hood 17 is carried through the major portion oi the constantly decreasing passageway and a portion of it is diverted by the wall and delivered be tween the exits 51, 52, and 53 by means of the relatively small diverting walls It will be observed that ezchot' the two passageways is identical in all respects and have coinicquently been given the same numerals. The discharge end of one passageway passes under the other passageway only through a very small portion. of its extent, namely, from the entrance 1'7 ot' the second passage ay to the baliie or vane 47 of the passageway, this being an anglemuch less than 90".

It will be noted that the two hood mouths each lie substantially in a plane passing through the axis and they are therefore preseated to the air to be trapped at right air gles to the direction oi movement ot the mouth run, and the downward and inward slopes ol the walls of each of the whorls or snails is such that the least possible :t'riction is added to the t-yii'fllll; in other words,

these walls are oi? strean'nline formation in so far as it ispossible with the pitch determined by the amount of pressure desired. The center-line of the wall of the upper initial portion of each of the hoods is at an angle ot il-5 to both the horizontal and the vertical. Consequently, this wall guidesthe trapped air into the passageway under it and the HUJL'J'HPPQLT air into the ad acent pass. i reway with n'nnunum friction. Lookt Jug directly down upon the impeller, it will.

be scen that all surit'aces are in substantially streamline ii'orniation, directing the air through the nearest ilbrwardly moving hood.

The baclt of each hood curved in arch formation from side to side, and ate uniform pitch from the hack of one entrance to the The arch mouth of the adjacent entrance. of the back of each passageway ]oins the curved cone base of the runner at a sharp angle, as shown in the drawings, but lt;\Vlll be uxuler sood that this is for the purpose of clear mouth of the hood, a short distance irom the shaft 11.), and although it might be thought this would provide a dead air spaee,sueh is not the case at all, as the, air is moving dowi'iwardly at a very rapid rate to replace the air discharged at the peripheral edge. This di'iwnwardly moving air is guided y the sharp surface of rotation generated by the sharp angled cusp and the air is thrown ss of illiritration only, and that as actually manuiactured, gussets, such as indicated at 55,, are inserted to prevent all peller and also of the housing there is noperceptible'lossof air or of pressure at this poin ass ss? directly into the two diametrically opposite hoods where it is whirled throughthe snail-. like passageway and delivered equally through the eight or more orifices. The baffle walls guiding the air to the various orifices not only distribute the air. evenly throughout the entire angle of the "discharge,

but'they veiy efiiciently prevent re-entry of j the air particularly, relatively neareach mouth.

In order to prevent loss ofair'betweenthehousing and the rotary member the latteryis provided with the air lock skirt 42 before I claim; I p

1. In an air'transferrer, a rotary element having a plurality of equispaced passageways, a housing, a bearing for said rotary element,a plurality of bafllearms, prime in number with respect tothe numberof'p'assageways, connecting said housing and bearing. 7 V c 2. In'an air transferrer, a circular runner having a plurality of passageways each greater than 90, equispaced about a common center, such passagewaysoverlying in partan adjacent passageway and each gradually decreasing in cross-sectional area from its entrance to its exit.

3. A runner having a pair of curved partially overlapping passageways symmetrical 1y arranged about a common axis, eaclrof said passageways being tapered from its entrance to its exit. i v

41-. In an air transferrer, a circular runner having a pair of tapered curved passageways each greater than 90and each having an entrance lying in a plane radial to the common axis.

5. In an air transferrer, a housing, a runner bearing, an odd number of arms joining said bearing and housing,'a runner, a pair of curved tapered passageways having their entrance mouths and discharge orifices diametrically opposite each other.

6. A runner for an air transferrer consisting of a pair of spiral tapered passageways and a partition within each passageway subdividing the fluid passing therethrough.

7. A runner for an air transferrer consisting of a plurality of spaced passageways, each curved on a spiral with respect to their common axes, and each tapered at a uniform ratefrom the entrance to the .eXit thereof,

and a sharply pointed conoiddirecting air into the entrance of eachfpassa'geway.

8. a runner' for an air'transferrer, an. air-lock skirt, a p'luralityof'curved tapered passageways, the'outer wall of each of which merges Into sa1d'sk1rt,: and a conol'd less in ma or dlameter than the diameter of said 'skirt, and coaxial with said skirt for discharging air trapped by said passageways.

9. In a runner, a smoothly curved conoid base, askirt spaced from said base, and a plurality of passageways, each merging into said skirt,1 a'nd each bounded on its inner side by a spiral curve on the face of said base.

7 10. In a runner, a curved conoidal base extending unbroken to a perlpheral discharge and a pair of curvedv passageways located on.

said base on the convex side thereof, said passageways decreasing in height measure parallel to the conoid'axis 'fromentrance to exit. p I

11. In a runner for an air transferrer, a curved conoid having. a sharply pointed boss at the center thereof, a pair of hooded passageways diametrically positioned on said base and each spaced from the cusp of said base,- whereby air from the 1ntake 1S thrown to each passageway by the back of the other passageway and by the slope of the said base.

12. In a runner, a smoothly curved conoid. a plurality of curved taperedwalls mounted on said conoid ':to provide a plurality of separated passageways, the inner edge of the mouth of one passageway rising from the back of'another passageway wall, and each of the passageway walls at their peripheries merging together to form an annular air-lock skirt spaced from the periphery of said 'conoid, andvanes between said skirt and said con-oid to subdivide the fluid passed through the several passageways.

13. In a runner, a smoothly curved centrally cusped conoid, a pair of curved walls'secured to said conoid at one edge only, and forming two tape-red curved fluid passageways, the entrance to each lying substantially on opposite sides of said cusp and spaced therefrom, and vanes and said conoid.

14. In a runner for an air transferrer, base having a circular periphery, a pair of curved hoods rising from said base and providing two separated passageways symmetrically arranged with respect to the center of the base, the mouth portion of each of said hoods on its center line lying at an angle of 45 to a plane passing through the aXis of the runner and the margin of the mouth of the passageway, the back of each of said hoods directing the fluid into the mouth of the other hood. I

15. In an air transferrer, a rotary membetween said walls ion.

Ili-

the base her consisting of a base having a circular periphery, an annular skirt, vanes between said base and skirt, and a plurality of arched walls n'ierging into said shirt at their outer edges and rising from saidhase at their inner edges. i y

16. In an air translfierrer, a hellshaped ro-- ta y element having; a plurality of" curved passageways. each havinp at its entrance end an a 'rhed month, the 'im oil? the mouth lying in radial plane.

17. In an airt 'ansferrer. a base having the shape ot a surface of rerol ition and having a cusp at the axis of revolution, a plurality of hoods mounted on said hase being joined to the haae in a curved line near the axis and lltlllfl spaced from the hose toward the pe riphery, the space heln'een the base and hoods heing the discharge from the device.

ltl. In an air transilerrer an iinperl'oralc circular hase having an apex at its axis, a plurality oi arched hoods spaced lrom each other and from the apex of the hasae each hood constantly decreasing in height measured pa allel to the axis of the base.

19. In a rotary impeller for an air transiterring device, a circular hat-1e, a plurality o'l Silltlldllit} pasiage'ways mounted on the base and spaced theretron at theperiphery o t the hase to form a discharge portion and a plurality of air diverting walls spaced herween and the walls of said nassapvways near the periphery of the base.

20. In an air t 'ansterrerl a rotary element, a plurality of hearings for said element, and a plrn'ality of radial arms supporting one of said hearings, said arms lacing: flat in a 1':

dial direction in order to hallle the air passing to the rotary elen'ient.

21. 111 an air tranalerrer, a rotary element, a pair of hearings for said element, one of said hearing-s heing located on the intake eide oi the element and a durality ot radially disposed (lat halite arms tor supporting the hearing on the intake side.

In an air t 'anslerrer, a circular runner, a phi allly o1? hearings .lOl' s: id runner, one of said hearings lieingg located on the intake side, and a plurality of haille arms snpporo ing said intake hearing; said arms heinc; tlat in a radial plane and being sharpened on the intake side so as to otter little obstruction to air passing parallel to the axis of the rotary element and battlingthe air tending to 121g a sub pass in a direction parallel to the circumference of said element.

Q3. In an air transierrer a housing, a rotary element for discharging into the housing, a plurality of spiral passageways in said rotary element, each arched in cross'section, a hearing for said rotary element, a plu 'ality of radially disposed fiat lmllle arms on the intake side of said rotary element, said arms being shaped just to clear the outline of the rotary element and passageways as theyre Yolre, whereby said arms will tend to prevent whirling ol the air prior to being taken into the passageways.

.24. The device of claim Lil in which the hallle arms ar arched and rise from the housingand support said hearing. and tins on said arms between the rotary elementand its lit-,tll'lllg.

25.111 an air trans'ferrer, a stream-line conoid, a plurality or arched snail-shaped passageways secured to said conoid and a shirt on said nissageways spaced from and approximately parallel to the peripheral edge of said eonoid.

26. In an air transferrer, a housing haying a substantially cylindrical hut eccentric duet graduallyincreasing in diameter to its ednction outlet. an impeller having an an nular mouth of constant width discharging a all times into said duet, a groovein said housing, a flange on said impeller fitting within said groove and forming therewith an air-lock, and a pin 'ality o'l deflecting elements in said impeller positioned so that the discharge from the impeller to the ductis approximately constant throughout its entire periphery.

537. In an air transterrer, a" housing hayantially circular duct, circular in cross-section hut of constantly increasing size to its discharge end, said duct being open tln'oughout itsentire extent forming an an nular slot, an impeller consisting of a curved conoid and a plurality of hoods thereon, each hood ha ring a month lyingin a radial plane, being arched in oross-i-section and decreasing in heightfrom its entrance to its discharge edge. and means -arrie :l by the housing for halllingz the air passing to the impeller to prevent the air from whirling prior to entry into said hooded liitlSStlllmVitVS.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature.

JUL'IUs CLINTON WRIGHT. 

